Chapter 1: Munchnones and mesoionic heterocycles The reactivity, regioselectivity, and synthetic applications of munchnones (1,3-oxazolium-5-olates) is a common theme which runs through Chapters 2-5. The definition, structure, and reactivity of...

Estradiol is a key regulator of immune protection in the female reproductive tract (FRT). Its concentration varies during the menstrual cycle, leading to changes in innate immune protection. In this thesis, I demonstrate the multiple levels at...

Objectives: This dissertation comprises three essays on geographic variations in healthcare, and the association between utilization and health outcomes. I first explore associations between outpatient visits and Medicare beneficiaries'...

During our fieldwork with real-world organizations---including those in Public Key Infrastructure (PKI), network configuration management, and the electrical power grid---we repeatedly noticed that security policies and related security artifacts...

This thesis presents data from ground camera observations of the aurora conducted from Alaska during the winters of 2005 through 2007. In conjunction with these camera observations, conjugate radar observations of the auroral ionosphere were...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. The discovery of breast tumor subtypes and the subsequent development of treatments aimed at them has allowed a reduction in the mortality of breast cancer. However, tumors with similar...

Access control is a core component of any information-security strategy. Researchers have spent tremendous energy over the past forty years defining abstract access-control models and proving various properties about them. However, surprisingly...

While anthropogenic emissions of the toxic element mercury (Hg) to the atmosphere are currently rising, major uncertainties remain in determining the relative impacts of anthropogenic activity and natural processes on the global Hg cycle. In this...

Fluorescence molecular imaging will have an important clinical impact in the area of guided oncology surgery, where emerging technologies are poised to provide the surgeon with real-time molecular information to guide resection, using targeted...

Ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) remains the most common bearing material for total joint arthroplasty. Advances in radiation cross-linking and other post-consolidation treatments have led to a rapid differentiation of polyethylene...

This thesis presents two-fluid simulations of forced magnetic reconnection with finite electron inertia in two and three dimensional periodic systems. Reconnection in the system is driven by a spatially localized forcing function, added to the ion...

The Internet has become a virtual place where people not only operate in isolation but also interact with other Internet users. Collaborative systems are becoming more popular. Applications now being introduced could provide better remote education...

Synthetic oleanane triterpenoids (SO) are a novel class of therapeutic compounds based on the structure of oleanolic acid. These synthetic oleanane triterpenoids which include 2-cyano-3,12-dioxooleana-1,9(11)-dien-28-oic acid (CDDO), CDDO-methyl...

In 1976, Whitfield Diffie and Martin Hellman demonstrated how public key cryptography could enable secure information exchange between parties that do not share secrets. In order for public key cryptography to work in modern distributed...

Angiogenesis is part of the natural defense mechanism in brain against hypoxia and ischemia. Animal models and methods for the non-invasive investigation of cerebral angiogenesis are needed. This thesis addresses the hypothesis that steady state,...

APETALA3 ( AP3 ) and PISTILLATA ( PI ) are floral organ identity genes that are necessary and sufficient for petal and stamen development. Surprisingly little is known about molecular mechanisms by which AP3 and PI proteins direct floral organ...